Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

The Mr Makinde defeated Hazeem Gbolarumi, who was his only opponent in the primaries held at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, on Wednesday.

Announcing the election results, the secretary of the PDP Electoral Committee, Abdullahi MaiBasira, said that 1,048 delegates were accredited to vote out of 1,086 delegates.

Mr MaiBasira said the governor scored 1,040 votes to defeat Mr Gbolarumi, who scored only two votes.

He added that six votes were voided.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Makinde thanked all the delegates for finding him worthy of being the party’s flag bearer in the 2023 election.

“I’m not the most brilliant or the most upright person, yet you gave me your mandate. Thank you for believing in me and in our party, PDP.

“Trust is like a building. For every building to stand it must have a solid foundation; the foundation for trust is truth,” Mr Makinde said.

The governor, while assuring the delegates that he would continue to be honest, urged all PDP members in the state to continue working for the progress of the party.

Earlier, Mr Gbolarumi, who alleged that his delegates were chased away from the venue of the primaries, called on the party’s leadership to do the right thing for the growth of the party in the state.

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Mutiu Agboke, security agencies and the INEC administrative secretary, Abiodun Onigate-Amosun, witnessed the primaries.

(NAN)